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NO. 1104 - THE THREE "L's" OF LONGEVITY!

No. 1104

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE THREE “L’s” OF LONGEVITY!

It has been said that “old age” is a club, that with luck, we all join. I know this is true because any person has to be somewhat “lucky” to make it to this lofty status, whether we consider old ago to be 70, 80, 90 or even 100.
In fact, I read the obituaries in our local paper every day and sadly many people do not even make it to age 50. Now, please allow me to pause here and ask you a somewhat personal question. Depending on your current age and your health, would you like to live to be a hundred years of age?
The answer for me, with a big “if” that is, if I still have a sound mind and a relatively sound body is – yes - and another big “if” I can still be useful and be of service to others. While I have no way of knowing, I suspect this is also true for most other people who live in our medical technology-advanced nation. Why else would we spend billions of dollars each year on pills and hospitals? Now assuming you still have some years in front of you and would like to have even more, I have some thoughts to share that may be of interest.
In addition to “luck” there are several other factors that can help us live a much longer life. I believe the first is “good genes,” meaning we come from a long line of relatives who live to be a ripe old age. I have a friend in my Sunday school class who is 90, and we played golf a few years ago. He has one sister who is 97 and another who is 103, so “Bill” is expecting to live a while longer.
Another factor is diet and exercise and how we take care of our bodies. A while back I made an interesting observation in this regard. When Janis and I went to Branson a few weeks ago, in the motel where we were staying there were two or three groups of people who came in tour buses and were also staying there. These were all elderly people, and they came to the coffee shop early to enjoy the great breakfast the motel provided for their guests. With the exception of two or three people who had a little extra weight, all the others were very thin, and most were skinny as a rail. None of them looked like many of those I see at the grocery store every time I go shopping. It has been said that you see a lot of fat people, and you see a lot of old people but you rarely see any old, fat people. Fat people don’t usually get old.
But back to what I was saying earlier about wanting to become a “centenarian” or to live to be 100 years of age. According to “wiki-answers” the fastest growing age group in our country are those 85 years of age and older, and this includes centenarians. It is reported that today that there are more than 65,000 people who have reached this lofty age. This is enough people to replace all those who live here in our community, and today it’s so crowded, we have trouble navigating our streets.
Olivia de Havilland, a famous movie star, turned 100 on July 1, 2016, and she now lives in Paris. Older Americans will recognize her as one who played in “Gone with the Wind” and many other films. She says there are three “L’s” that are the keys to longevity. These are Love, Laughter, and Learning. This is pretty good advice, especially if you consider that if you make it to 100, you have enjoyed the trip.
To be sure, “Love” makes a difference. We know that bitterness, anger and hatred, the opposite of love, will eat you alive. The person who loves is just naturally happy, and what more can you say about learning than it keeps your mind sharp. To be sure, I wish for you a long, happy and productive life.
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(Editor’s Note: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY – Begin your day on a positive note – 365 days for $12. This will benefit the Bookcase for Every Child project. Go to www.apositivemomentwithjim.com to subscribe.)